Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/998810
July 2018 WINES&VINES 27 TECHNOLOGY When asked about how she uses the infor- mation she can gather to better the DtC sales for Flora Springs, Sherburne said it works well for those who have some longevity with the winery, either through club memberships or frequent in-person visit. And she's able to bet- ter prepare for those who book their time at the tasting room instead of walking in. "Acqui- sition is tricky," she said. "It has to happen over time, through hosting relationships." The future of DtC wine sales and marketing A new program called Customer Vineyard, founded by Mary Jo Dale, marketing director of Vinventions, is aiming to provide a more organized and intuitive way to access con- sumer information. Dale said Customer Vine- yard is not a quick fix to the lack of seamless software for the tasting room, but it can boost the amount of detailed customer information available to wineries and tasting rooms and, thus, boost DtC sales. According to Dale, Customer Vineyard le- verages the power of big data, allowing winer- ies to market and sell wine more profitably. "What we mean by big data is this — we look at certain existing information about custom- ers, such as purchasing, behavior, key interests and financial metrics," Dale said in an email to Wines & Vines. "We then deliver the insights back to the winery down to the customer level." The program pulls data from across winer- ies' existing DtC and POS systems, working with outside professional data houses to pull relevant information. "It further interprets the information with a series of proprietary algo- rithms," Dale said. The data is then returned to the winery and "certain attributes" can be added to existing customers' profiles — whether they're one-time visitors, make only online purchases or are regular members of the wine club. The "attributes" attached to the customer profiles can get quite detailed, right down to interests outside of food and wine. Based on these details, wineries and tasting rooms can then market wines of various price points to the proper audience, customize wine club programs and events targeted to a specific demographic, and just generally boost the win- ery and tasting room experience for their guests in a more personalized manor. "Customer Vineyard isn't meant to replace any current DtC system, but it certainly can support them," Dale said. The right equipment can be the difference between a Work-of-Art or a simple garage sale piece. Della Toffola offers 50 years of experience in the design and manufacture of innovative equipment that delivers artistry in each production run. 2. Do you use a separate system to enable customers to schedule tasting room visits? 3. If you use a separate sales, CRM and wine club system, where could it be improved? 41.1% Sales reports 17.6% Depletions and wholesale sales management 17.6% Wine club management 11.7% Marketing analytics 5.8% Better integration with winemaking 5.8% Tasting room bookings and scheduling No 66.6% Yes 33.3%